Meghan Markle has faced backlash from an army of social media mothers after she appeared close to dropping her newborn son Archie on his first public outing.

The Duchess of Sussex, 37, was snapped cradling Archie during a day out with Kate Middleton and her three children at Surrey's Billingbear Polo Club on Wednesday. The two Duchesses were supporting their spouses in the King Power Royal Charity Polo Day.

While many outlets highlighted the display of unity between the Duchesses, whose royal relationship has long been subject to speculation, people seemed more interested in the "unnatural" way Markle was carrying Archie.

Mothers in arms flocked to Instagram, claiming Markle looked close to dropping the baby and appeared "uncomfortable" with holding the child.

"Meghan doesn't know how to carry her own baby! Such a shame," one person commented.

"The way little Archie is being held. Scary," said another.

'Meghan looks like she's about to drop him."

Although the Duchess appeared to be nothing but doting during the outing, critics couldn't resist shaming the new mum for everything they perceived as wrong.

Among the complaints were Archie's bare head and feet, with the words "uncomfortable", "awkward" and "unnatural" being thrown around.

The mum-shaming prompted a number of people to rush to Markle's defence.

"Oh look, one paparazzi shot and the parenting police are here," said one Instagram user.

"Hard enough being a new mum, let alone in front of the world," another commented.

"She's a brand new mother. Stop the damn mom shaming!"

The polo match marked the first joint appearance by the Sussex and Cambridge families since Archie's birth in May.

The Duchess is currently on maternity leave but has been snapped in public a handful of times, most recently to watch Serena Williams, a close friend, at Wimbledon last week.